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Innovation Nation

2017 Participants

In 2017, Innovation Nation will accelerate 15 young people’s ideas for social change with the help of two amazing partners: Charter Hall and Australian Unity.

Why? Australia is facing major social, economic and environmental challenges. At FYA, we believe young people are key to driving social change in their community. We want to back youth led innovative solutions that are tackling society’s most pressing challenges.

We got tons of amazing applications this year with a wide range of ideas and project. Here are the Innovation Nation participants for 2017.

Cali Pusell

The Cosmic Collective

About:

The Cosmic Collective will be a creative community space facilitating young people’s exploration of arts and culture in Wollongong, NSW. The space will have an art space/gallery, garden, library, community nights with trivia, musical performances and movie screenings etc. Classes and workshops will also be held on a variety of topics. Also included will be a community activism workshop space for use by other community groups to provide them with a space to organise.

Guy Smith

ScrapCycle

About:

ScrapCycle is a social enterprise organisation that collects food waste from a range of Sydney-based restaurants and catering companies and transforms it into sustainable, nutrient-rich compost for all gardens big and small.

Kate Berger

Cing Education

About:

Cing Education is an online tutoring solution, support network and resource portal for young Australians with a chronic illness. It bridges the gap between the small amount of tutoring sessions covered by the NDIS and the disparity in academic outcomes for students with a chronic illness. We specialise in intensive, adaptable online tutoring sessions conducted by tutors with experience and training in the needs of students with a chronic illness.

Melody Duan

Whimsical Productions

About:

Whimsical Productions is a new theatre company that aims to produce theatrical works in the most diverse and creative way possible. We do this through our two programs: The Whimsical Playground and the Colorful Project. The Whimsical Playground is designed to grow and develop creative individuals and the Colour Project is created to promote racial diversity in the arts in a manner that is positive and inclusive of all backgrounds, colours and races.

Morgahna Godwin

Manage Endo

About:

Manage Endo is a self-management tracking tool to help individuals holistically manage endometriosis. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in places outside of the uterus. It often means many women deal with life-altering symptoms, side effects, and repercussions, including (but certainly not limited to): infertility, chronic pain, dysmenorrhea, anxiety, depression, and multiple surgeries. It’s estimated that 176 million women worldwide suffer from endometriosis. I am one of those women.

Nicholas Steepe

Central West Rainbow Alliance

About:

CWRA is a project that aims to increase the social connectedness of LGBTIQA+ people living in regional NSW. CWRA will be a platform that will advocate for greater social inclusion for the LGBTIQA+ community, and raise awareness around the issues facing this community.

Sayed Rahmatullah Hussainizada

CultureShare

About:

CultureShare is a proposed platform for multicultural supplier diversity. It empowers refugee and migrant communities by identifying markets for goods and services native to their culture in the corporate and institutional market. Similarly, it allows companies to fulfil their CSR goals by integrating them into their procurement and operating models. It does so as both an intermediary for sales contacts and a host for awareness-raising events.

Sophie Hope

National Mental Health Short Film Festival

About:

Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Short Film Festival (I’m developing a more succinct name), is a film competition open to people aged 16-30. Young people will submit original short films (up to 7 minutes) that relate to the theme of ‘mental health’ (I’m developing a more specific theme). Films can be in any genre (comedy, drama, romance etc) and both live-action and animation films will be accepted. Shortlisted films will be screened at an event in Canberra (hopefully at the NFSA) where the winners will be announced.

Will De Dassel

Your Tech Mate (YTM)

About:

Your Tech Mate aims to address technological illiteracy, and provide an affordable tech support consultation for common issues. We will accomplish this through a friendly, patient and prompt to-the-door service; with a focus on not only finding solutions to customer’s problems, but explaining it for them too.

William Wu

Real Skills Education

About:

The STEM fields are experiencing substantial growth in the 21st century; however, unemployment and underemployment among graduates are increasing, due to a lack of opportunities. Real Skills Education is a not-for-profit organisation run by university students. Our aim is to supplement and enhance current STEM education to the changing expectations of employability and professionalism in the 21st century. Our mission is to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace.

Andrew Gooden

Good Studio

About:

We will design ethical, sustainable and beautiful reusable takeaway
containers and a system within which these containers will be loaned
out, collected, washed and sanitised and reused.

Andrew Millhouse

Pivot

About:

Lack of knowledge or skills should never be the reason young people engage with the legal system. That’s why we help young people understand the law. We run by youth, for youth legal education, designed to give young people the information and skills they need to navigate complex legal situations.
Our program helps young people:
1) understand what the law is and why it exists, and
2) develop skills (e.g. communication, conflict resolution).

Henry Wu

Australian Students Space Organisation (ASSO)

About:

Australian Students Space Organisation (ASSO) is a student-led not-for-profit organisation that provides secondary school students in Australia with knowledge on space exploration through enriching activities and events, inspiring them to become future leaders of space exploration and accelerating the establishment of a vibrant space industry in Australia. We accomplish this by providing students with educational talks, activities and lectures.

Linda Przhedetsky

Raise The Bar

About:

Raise the Bar is a community campaign that aims to improve the standards of safety and support in licensed venues so that everyone can have a great night out. Run by a small group of Sydney locals, Raise the Bar aims to change the status quo by ensuring that venues accept a zero-tolerance policy for bad behaviour and harassment, encouraging patrons to speak up, and starting a dialogue through conversation-starter stickers on bathroom doors.

Sophie Dahm

Colourful Collective

About:

Colourful Collective is a platform for English learning via music making, which incorporates cultural exchange and social support networks for refugees and asylum seekers. Colourful Collective is a peaceful, purposeful and positive action in response to a number of struggles, disadvantages and traumas that many asylum seekers experience. Through musical workshops, we not only teach music and English but also encourage participants to teach and eventually take lead, enabling cultural exchange, empowerment and collaborative direction of the group’s future.